


The Red Umbrella

by turtleeden



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, ShuAnnWeek2020, it's a mood akira i know, tfw you get cocky and then nature proves you wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23527153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtleeden/pseuds/turtleeden
Summary: The rain can get unpredictable during the summer, and yet Akira was confident that it wasn't going to rain. When he goes down to meet with Ann for the afternoon, Nature decides to prove him wrong.Day 2 Prompt: Rain/Snow
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Persona 5 Protagonist/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24
Collections: Shuann Week 2020





	The Red Umbrella

The summer rain in Tokyo was an unpredictable thing.

He could've sworn that it wasn't going to rain today. In fact, he was _confident_ that it wasn’t going to rain today. That's why he didn't bother with slipping an umbrella inside of his bag. But nature can truly be unpredictable at times. Despite it being sunny and dry when he entered the Shibuya Underground Mall, the weather changed while Akira met with Ann. They made plans to head over to Leblanc and spend some time together in his room, but the moment Akira walked up the stairs that lead up to Central Street, he was met with the sound of heavy pouring rain.

"No way…" he muttered to himself, staring blankly at the now murky sky above their heads. "It was literally sunny just a minute ago…"

"What's wrong?" Ann asked him, joining him up the stairs. She immediately stopped walking when she felt a few stray raindrops hit her head, and she bristled.

"Holy…! That rain's coming down hard!" she cried, hastily covering her head and backing away from the exit. "Akira, you've got your umbrella with you, right?"

"...." Akira clenched his teeth as he kept quiet, not wanting to admit it out loud. But his silence revealed the obvious truth.

"What?! You don't have it?!" Ann exclaimed, completely shocked. "What happened to always being prepared?!"

"I thought it wasn't going to rain! Ugh… the one time that I don't bring one…" Akira groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, completely annoyed with himself. That’s what he gets for getting cocky about the weather. "Sorry, Ann."

"What are we gonna do?" Ann asked. "I mean, all I got is this shirt around my waist, but it’s not gonna be enough to cover both of us! We'll be soaked with how hard it's pouring out there!"

"No kidding. My shirt’s all I got on hand too." Akira sighed, mentally cursing himself again for leaving his umbrella in the attic. He had a feeling that he was going to get an earful from either Sojiro or Morgana when he got to Leblanc, and he didn’t know which one was worse. ( _But if he had to wager a guess… Morgana would be worse. Sojiro can be rough, but at least he doesn’t nag him as much as Morgana does._ ) Even so… he had to think of something. It’s one thing if he gets drenched thanks to his little mistake, but he’ll be damned if he’ll let Ann get soaking wet. 

“How about this?” Akira then said, coming up with an idea. “I could head back down to the mall and buy another one. We can share it on the way to Leblanc.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Ann mused, smiling at him. “But you know… the mall’s really crowded today. Bet it’s ‘cause of the rain and all. Are you gonna be okay?”

“It’ll be fine,” Akira assured, shaking his head. “Better to wait in a crowd for something you need than getting drenched in the rain because you forgot something.”

“That’s true.” Ann agreed, nodding at him. “Then c’mon! I can at least help you out by picking out the best stores to get it for cheap!”

“Heh. Lucky me.” Akira chuckled, flashing a smile at her. Leave it to Ann to make a simple trip to the mall sound more exciting thanks to her enthusiasm.

The two of them walked back down the stairs to get back to the mall proper. They stopped at a few shops where one could get umbrellas for a cheap price. With Ann’s guidance, Akira was able to pick out an umbrella in a bargain bin. It was a simple red umbrella. It was small and portable, easy for quick traveling and easy to put away. When it’s open, it can easily cover two people, so it was perfect for a situation like this. The hardest thing about this detour was standing in a long line just for checkout. It was boring to sit through, but Akira and Ann managed to keep busy by talking with each other about various things. Once they finally got to the clerk and bought the umbrella, Akira and Ann walked out of the store and headed to the station accessway to take the line that led to Yongen-Jaya.

“This wasn’t what I had in mind when I said I wanted to head back to Leblanc for some alone time.” Akira sighed, still a little disgruntled over his little slip-up.

“Come on, quit grumbling,” Ann said, lightly nudging him in the arm. “It happens to everyone once in a while. You don’t have to beat yourself up.”

“....” Akira’s lips thinned as he kept quiet. He knew Ann was right, of course. But even so, the fact that he did something so silly left him a little salty.

“Well, think of it like this…” Ann continued, smiling as a light blush dusted her cheeks. “We’re still sharing the umbrella on the way to Leblanc, right?”

That little question finally made Akira crack a smile. "Of course we are." he said.

"Great! Then no more grumbling! We've got a little something to look forward to when we head over to Leblanc!" Ann said cheerfully.

Akira chuckled under his breath, saying nothing more. Instead he merely tossed his head towards the direction of the train station, signaling for them to get going. 

\-----

The rain didn't let up at all since they took the train to Yongen-Jaya.

It poured mercilessly as Akira and Ann stepped out of the station. The raindrops were making heavy splashes against the ground, almost making the path ahead look like a shallow, grimy river. It would be very easy to look like a drowned rat if you didn't have an umbrella handy to shield you from the rain, but luckily that wasn't the case here. Akira stepped forward and opened up the red umbrella he had on hand. Once he made sure that he was still dry, he turned around and offered his hand to Ann. 

“My lady.” he said with a smile.

“Hehe… thanks.” Ann thanked, smiling back as she took hold of his hand. A light blush colored her cheeks as she did so, and she couldn’t help but notice that Akira was blushing a little too. The sight made her giggle to herself.

Once Ann made her way under the umbrella, the two of them walked together, heading towards Leblanc. Their feet couldn’t help but make small splashes as they walked along the wet road, making their soles damp with every step. Despite that, the two of them looked cozy as they huddled under the umbrella. Their shoulders touched as they huddled against each other, holding their hands tight as they tried to keep each other dry. The weather was dreary, but at least it gave them yet another excuse to stay close.

Eventually, they made their way to the front door of the cafe. Ann was the first to enter, being shielded by Akira as he lowered the umbrella. Akira soon followed and set down the red umbrella at the corner. All the while, Sojiro Sakura was watching the two of them with a sly smile on his face.

“Got caught by the rain again, huh?” he said.

“...Yeah.” Akira sighed, running a hand through his dark curls.

“Figured as much. At least you don’t look like someone threw you overboard this time.” Sojiro said, chuckling to himself before switching his attention to Ann. “Here again, Ann-chan?”

“Hi, Boss!” Ann greeted with a smile. “Hope you don’t mind me popping in.”

“Of course not. Why don’t you dry off and make yourself comfortable?” Sojiro offered. “The shop’s still open, but… I hardly get any customers in this weather.”

“Thanks! I’m gonna go freshen up a bit then.” Ann said, before walking off towards the bathroom. When Ann was out of both Akira and Sojiro's sights, Sojiro turned towards Akira with a sly look to his eye.

"Ann-chan's been coming here a lot lately," he observed, eyeing Akira. "...You finally confess?"

"...Huh?" Akira questioned, blinking in confusion. "Confess to what?"

"Come on, don't think you can fool this old man." Sojiro scoffed, resting a hand on his hip. "I saw the way you looked at that girl when you kids had hotpot the other day. You're not very subtle, kid."

"...!!" Akira's face immediately flushed bright red, and he turned his head away from Sojiro in his embarrassment. The fact that Sojiro figured out that he and Ann were together wasn't what got Akira flustered. Rather, it was that Sojiro figured it out so quickly! Was Akira really that obvious?!

"So what if I did?" Akira huffed, despite the bright crimson blush on his face.

"Hah! Look at you, red as a beet!" Sojiro laughed, clearly amused at the sight. "Make it more obvious, why don't you!"

"Sojiro!"

Sojiro kept laughing as Akira tried to cover his face in vain. The crimson shade on his cheeks and ears weren't going away anytime soon, and he felt heat radiating from them, which didn't help things at all. Akira then let out a groan, shaking his head in defeat as he stubbornly avoided eye contact with Sojiro. It was then that the old man granted him a little mercy.

"Heh… just messing with you, kid." Sojiro eased, his laughter waning. "Listen, you could never go wrong with the love of a good woman. Having a girlfriend is a good thing for you, especially if she's able to keep you out of trouble. You just gotta make sure that you treat her right. So you be good to that girl, got it?"

Akira's face was still red, but he managed to finally make eye contact with Sojiro again. That was… actually nice for him to say. Dare he say it, he felt like the old man was starting to warm to him a little. A smile then spread across his lips as he nodded to him firmly. 

"I will. Definitely." he said confidently. Of course he was going to be good to Ann… he loves her, after all.

"Sorry for the wait!"

Ann's voice made everyone turn their attention towards her as she walked out of the bathroom. As she twirled the ends of her twintails with her finger, she noticed that the atmosphere in the cafe felt a little… different from before.

"Um, did I walk into something?" she asked.

"Not really," Akira assured, shaking his head. "Just a little family bonding, that's all."

"Excuse me, what?" Sojiro gawked.

"What? Is it your turn to deny something?" Akira asked innocently. Despite the blush still painted on his cheeks, he was grinning widely at Sojiro. "We were definitely bonding."

"Hmph. You got some nerve talking like that when you're still as red as a tomato," Sojiro grumbled gruffly. He turned his back and strode off to the other side of the cafe to get to the dishes. "While you're standing there gawking, you can make yourself useful and offer Ann-chan a drink to warm her up."

"Yes, Boss." Akira sang, keeping his grin even as Sojiro walked away from him. Chuckling to himself a little, he returned his focus to Ann. "Jokes aside, do you want anything? I could make a fresh cup for you."

"That sounds great! I could use a little pick-me-up!" Ann said enthusiastically. "And it's great to see that you and Boss are getting along! You must be if you two are messing with each other that much!"

"Heh. I wasn't going to say anything. But…" Akira's eyes darted to Sojiro once more, smiling to himself. "I might be rubbing off on him."

"Pfft. In your dreams, kid." Sojiro scoffed, shaking his head as he focused on the dishes. "Now go on and get. You just gonna let a lady stand there unattended after you dragged her all the way out here in the rain?"

"Hey!"

Ann giggled a little to herself before she tugged at Akira's hand, gaining his attention. "Relax, will you? I'm in no hurry! C'mon, let's head upstairs." she said.

Finally… the most sensible thing he's heard all day. Akira flashed a smile as he nodded at her. "I'm right behind you. Let me just make your cup first, and I'll meet you up there."

"Sure thing." Ann said, nodding back at him. 

Ann then headed over to the stairs and walked on ahead to the attic. Akira, who stayed behind to make the coffee like promised, was smiling to himself as he watched her walk away. It was a soft, giddy smile that he just couldn't hide. ( _God, he just felt so happy when Ann was around. It was amazing how that worked._ ) He walked around the bar so that he could set up a fresh pot of coffee for the both of them. He ignored Sojiro smiling slyly at him as he worked, knowing that the old man was enjoying this a little too much. What Akira couldn’t ignore was the sharp tugging of his pant leg under the bar. He looked down for a moment to see a very disgruntled Morgana below him, and boy, did he look _mad_.

“So… it was raining today…” Morgana hissed, his glare sharp as he bristled his black fur. “Here I was gracious enough to give you some privacy to hang out with other people, but then I get caught in the downpour on the way back here! The nerve!”

“Morgana…” Akira sighed, sensing that Morgana was going to be ranting for a while.

“And what’s this I hear about you dragging Lady Ann in the middle of the rain?!” Morgana snapped, continuing his rant. “I expected someone like Ryuji to be so careless, but you!? Of all people! Clearly you need more training in the ways of a gentleman thief! On top of that, I _knew_ you left your umbrella up in the attic! You better not have gotten her soaking wet!”

...Akira’s guess was right after all. Morgana was worse by far.

\-----

The rain didn’t let up at all that afternoon. The sky was still dark and murky, the wind’s howl could occasionally be heard, and the heavy rain was mercilessly beating against the attic window with a loud impact. Despite this, Akira and Ann looked content as they sat together on the sofa with their coffee cups in hand. Ann snuggled against Akira as she rested her head on his shoulder, while Akira leaned back against the sofa, completely relaxed.

“Mmm… that coffee was good…” Ann hummed, finishing the last of her coffee. “What was the blend this time?”

“Colombian Narino.” Akira answered. “It’s one that I haven’t done that much, so… I hope it’s a hit.”

“I’d say you did!” Ann said enthusiastically. “It tasted really good!” 

“Thanks,” Akira thanked, wearing a soft smile. “I figured that I’d experiment a little while Morgana was busy giving me the riot act.”

“Aww… was Morgana that bad? He looked fine when he came up here a while ago.” Ann said, surprised.

“Yeah, ‘cause you were here enjoying yourself. He was still giving me the stink eye.” Akira groaned, sighing to himself. “He’ll probably cool off later tonight, but… being on the receiving end of his rants is not fun.”

“I’ll bet,” Ann giggled, smiling to herself. She took a moment to glance over at the window, seeing that the rain was still as harsh as ever. "Geez… it hasn't stopped at all." she commented, wincing at the sight.

Akira looked over at the window for a moment and saw what Ann was talking about. His eyes then darted over to his black umbrella sitting by the houseplant, right where he left it. He sighed to himself once more as he shook his head. 

"I'm glad we turned back and bought that umbrella," he said. "I really didn't want you to be soaked under all that rain if I can help it."

"As sweet as ever," Ann mused, flashing a smile at him. "You'd be soaking wet too, don't forget! I'm glad you didn't end up toughing it out. Knowing you, you'd probably do that and then make yourself sick."

"Uh, no. I _hate_ being sick," Akira grimaced, shaking his head again. As someone who was always moving about nowadays, being sick would make him absolutely miserable.

"But that wouldn't stop you from booking it to Leblanc if I wasn't there, right?" Ann asked, giving him an inquisitive look.

"...."

"Riiiight?"

"...I would've thought of using _something_ to cover myself up." Akira grumbled, turning his head away as he pushed his glasses up.

"Uh-huh. With your shirt?" Ann questioned flatly, raising a brow at him. "You'd still make a run for it."

Akira clenched his teeth then, knowing defeat was at hand. "Okay, yeah. I still would."

"Hah!" Ann exclaimed in her triumph.

"But… say if I did get sick…" Akira trailed off, glancing over at Ann with a curious look to his eye. "Would you take care of me?"

"Huh? Of course I would." Ann answered easily.

"Oh yeah?" Akira inquired, looking more interested. "What would you do?"

"Let's see… I'd keep your butt in bed, for one thing!" Ann declared boldly. 

"Seriously?" Akira laughed.

"Hey, you move around a lot!" Ann huffed. "And you kinda suck at taking care of yourself. That's why I'd do that to get you better!"

"...That's fair," Akira sighed, but he kept a small smile. "What else would you do?"

"What else…" Ann trailed off, humming in thought as she twirled the ends of her twintails. "I'll get you nice and snug in your blankets, keep your head cool with a towel, and maybe even bring food up to you!"

"Bring?" Akira parroted, his smile turning into a teasing smirk. "You're not going to feed it to me?"

"What? You want to be fed?" Ann teased, closing an eye at him. "Like, you want me to hold a spoon full of curry and have you say 'Ahh ~'?"

"That doesn't sound too bad," Akira said, smiling wryly. He then started to rise up from his seat. "Actually, let me step outside real quick --"

"Oh my god, you're such a dork!" Ann exclaimed, laughing as she held Akira down. Akira chuckled as he allowed himself to be held down by her. Eventually he leaned back in his seat again, completely relaxed. Of course he wasn't actually going to do it, but it was all in good fun.

"...You'd make a great nurse, you know." Akira mentioned.

"Oh quit it, you." Ann giggled, nudging him in the arm as she smiled.

"See? You're already taking care of me," Akira said, smiling softly. "All I need to feel better is to see you smile."

"Oh…" Ann's cheeks tinged pink then. She hastily covered them with her hands, feeling the heat radiating from them. "G-Geez… you know talking like that is totally unfair."

"It's not unfair if it's the truth." Akira pointed out, his expression softening as he gazed at her.

"And you're looking at me like that! That's unfair too! Completely unfair!" Ann huffed, looking down at her hands as her blush deepened. "N-Now I'm losing it… I was doing so well too…"

Akira simply smiled as he gently brushed aside some of her blonde hair. Ann eventually raised her head to meet Akira's gaze, and she sighed. She then leaned against Akira and snuggled her head against him. She was still red in the face, but she was content.

"...You make me so happy," Akira said softly, leaning his head against hers as he listened to the rainfall. Somehow listening to that while Ann was beside him made it sound so… soothing. "I don't think I say it enough."

"You don't need to. I do all of that for the both of us." Ann replied, closing her eyes. "...But hearing it every once in a while is nice. And seeing you smile when you say it… it's the best feeling in the world. Seeing you smile makes me feel happy too."

"I'm glad to hear it," Akira said, closing his eyes as his smile grew wider. "I love you."

"Hehe… I love you, too."

\-----

The rain continued on throughout the evening.

When it was getting late, Akira escorted Ann to the train station so that she could go home for the day. As they walked towards the front door together, Akira picked up the red umbrella that he left at the corner of the cafe. He took a step outside, held out the umbrella and opened it up. Just like last time, he held out his hand for Ann to take in order to join him under the umbrella. Ann smiled and took his hand gladly.

“See you later, Boss!” Ann said, waving goodbye to Sojiro as she left the cafe. “Thanks for the coffee!”

“Come back anytime.” Sojiro called back as they left.

Once more, they were faced with the torrential rainfall that made Yongen-Jaya’s streets look like a dirty, murky river. The darkness of the evening sky didn’t really help in that regard. Even so, Ann wrapped her arms around Akira’s free arm, ready to move. Akira simply smiled and began to walk towards the station. Their shoes quickly became wet from stepping into the shallow water, with their footsteps constantly making noise against the large puddles. Eventually they made it to the station, where the evening trains were making their scheduled rounds.

“Well, there’s my ride,” Ann said, stepping into the section where the roof of the station entrance was shielding her. “Thanks for walking me back.”

“Happy to do it.” Akira said easily, closing the red umbrella up. After wrapping it and sealing it closed, he handed the umbrella to Ann. “Here. You’ll need it more than I do.”

“Oh, thanks.” Ann said, gladly taking it off his hands. “I’ll give it back to you after school tomorrow, okay?”

“Keep it.” Akira said.

“Huh? But it’s yours!” Ann protested, shaking her head vigorously. “We bought it for you, remember?”

“Because I got cocky and left mine in the attic. It was always going to be a temporary fix,” Akira explained. Just as he said that, he took out the black umbrella that was sitting near the houseplant in the attic… his true umbrella. “I didn’t forget about it this time.”

“Hehe, that’s good. I really didn’t want to leave you with nothing but your shirt.” Ann said. “Then you’ll probably book it back to Leblanc and get sick for real.”

“We’re back to that, huh?” Akira chuckled.

“Hey! It’s an actual worry of mine now!” Ann fired back, closing an eye. “But now that I know you’ve got your umbrella, I can take this one with no worries.”

“Good.” Akira said, nodding at her. He then turned around and opened up his black umbrella, intending to start walking back to Leblanc now that Ann was at the station. He stepped into the rain, being mostly dry save for his shoes.

“Akira!”

At Ann’s sudden call, Akira turned around. “Yeah?” he asked, wondering what else was in Ann’s mind.

Ann smiled as she stepped away from the station entrance and joined Akira under his umbrella. Once she was there with him, she pushed herself up and pressed her lips against his. Akira let out a sudden gasp, completely taken off guard by Ann’s sudden kiss. His surprise quickly melted into contentment as he returned the kiss, pressing her against his body with his free hand. They held that position for a while, absorbed in each other while they stood in the pouring rain. Once Ann parted from him, she winked at him before she stepped back under the station roof, leaving Akira with a pink tinge on his cheeks.

“I’ll see you later.” Ann said, waving at him playfully despite the blush on her cheeks.

“Yeah…” Akira trailed off breathlessly. “See you.”

As he watched Ann disappear into the train station, that soft, giddy smile returned on his face. He just couldn’t help himself. Ann got him good, he’ll admit that. Akira sighed dreamily as he turned around for good, heading back towards Leblanc at an easy pace despite the weather. There was no good reason for this. He just wanted to savor the feeling of Ann’s lips for as long as he could.

Maybe he wasn't as subtle as he thought he was after all.

...But if he was going to be honest, he didn’t care.


End file.
